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Celebrities have to remain alert at all times in public spaces. Apart from being celebrated, they are also heavily followed and tend to influence the fans, be it knowingly or unknowingly. Dwayne Johnson, boasting over 400 million followers on social media, is currently one of the most followed celebrities. However, even before his social media days, Johnson had a healthy fan following, owing to his stardom in the WWE.

With a massive following comes added responsibilities, and this prevented him from signing a deal with one of his favorite brands. Had he gone through the deal, it would have accelerated his journey toward the billionaire club.

Dwayne Johnson was afraid of appearing big-headed

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Any Dwayne Johnson fan would know that the 51-year-old cannot do without two things- his daily dose of crushing workouts and weekly cheat meals. While at his age, The Great One can give professional bodybuilders a run for their money, he admittedly has a sweet tooth and loves binging once every week.

Johnson is also a fan of donuts chain Dunkin’ Donuts and reportedly received an offer once from the company in the early 2000s. However, afraid that signing with a brand that contradicts his athletic lifestyle, he declined politely.

“He was offered a promotional deal with “Dunkin’ Donuts”, which would have seen the company name a donut after him. Thinking it would make him appear big-headed, he graciously turned the offer down,” IMDb reported.

According to a report by contact music, Johnson said the following about the proposed contract: “We heard from them and they were like, ‘Are you interested in having a doughnut named after you?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, absolutely, it would be great,’ and then I thought, ‘No, because people would think I’m some crazy nut.'”

However, his love for the company never waned. In fact, in 2016, he tweeted: “Thursday grind. Stay sharp and focused. Let’s roll.. to Dunkin Donuts 😂.” No wonder the cheat meals are loaded with sweets and savories. And while Johnson may have lost out on making money from the deal, his fortune has grown manifold since. Currently, the WWE icon is closing in on becoming a billionaire.

How did The Rock amass his $800M wealth?

In the early 2000s, Johnson left pro wrestling for Hollywood and raked in multimillion-dollar cheques, which slowly grew with every project. That, however, is not the only source of income. The Brahma Bull is also a budding entrepreneur and holds several portfolios.

Read More: Dwayne Johnson’s Rumored Links With Southend United Gain Momentum, As Team Secures Urgent Court Order To Prepare “Sale of the Company’s Shares”

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He has a minor league football team- XFL, an energy drink company- Zoa, a spirit company- Teremana and a deal with sports apparel brand Under Armour- Project Rock. Apart from these and several others, he is also the co-founder of Seven Bucks Productions. The company is set to produce the next installment of the Fast and Furious franchise.

As you have guessed already, with several active streams of income, Johnson is slowly inching towards the billionaire club, where he will join his former boss Vince McMahon. While many wrestlers have found other streams to keep their income running, Johnson’s journey from a youth with just seven dollars in his pocket to an $800 million fortune is inspiring.

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But, what do you think about his missed deal? Let us know in the comments.

Watch This Story: 50 Years of The Rock: Dwayne Johnson’s Greatest Achievements in WWE